Sign up for the 'Secret Garden tour' in Dover

Saturday

May 25, 2013 at 12:01 AMMay 25, 2013 at 4:36 PM

The Friends of the Dover Library have announced a “Secret Garden Tour” to be held rain or shine on Saturday, June 2, from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Spend an afternoon strolling through five private gardens and a koi pond, each displaying the finest in landscape design.

The Friends of the Dover Library have announced a “Secret Garden Tour” to be held rain or shine on Saturday, June 2, from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Spend an afternoon strolling through five private gardens and a koi pond, each displaying the finest in landscape design.

The gardens of Strawberry Hill Farm were begun in 1916 and were the owner’s pride and joy for 62 years. The espaliered orchard with rows of apple and pear trees has a gazebo with a frame which came from the 1939 World’s Fair. The orchard won the Massachusetts Horticultural Society’s Grand Prize three years running, and has been featured in magazines such as House & Garden. There is also a beautiful wildflower walk devised under the swamp maples next to a pond alive with painted turtles, polliwogs, dragonflies and birds. The present owners purchased the property in 1979. They have meticulously cared for the property, refraining from the use of pesticides and herbicides and employing a solar photovoltaic installation to lessen the farm’s footprint. Many of the nearly 100-year-old original plantings have achieved magnificent stature.

The owners of another property on the tour found an unusual landscape solution to highlight their hilltop home — a koi pond. The pond is situated in the driveway roundabout, enabling visitors to view and enjoy the pond from different vantage points. The large pond, which was recently constructed, is stocked with a wide variety of plants and koi. The koi have flourished, quadrupling their population in just two seasons. A waterfall and a stone bench have been added to complete this unique landscape design.

The Secret Garden Tour is sponsored by the Friends of the Dover Library to benefit the library’s many programs and services. Tickets are available at the library or online at http://www.friendsofdoverlibrary.com/. They are $25 (Friends), $30 (nonmembers or online), and $35 (day of event). No pets or strollers will be allowed on the properties.

For more information, please call the library, 508-785-3050, or visit http://www.friendsofdoverlibrary.com/.